Written and directed by Charles Dorfman
Starring Iwan Rheon, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Tom Cullen
Unrated
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes
Opens in select theaters, digital platforms and VOD April 1

by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

The beauty of a slow-burn thriller is that it creates a tremendous sense of dread as viewers wait for something horrible to happen. Barbarians, the debut from writer/director Charles Dorfman, spends more than half its 90 minutes just on the set up, which is sure to frustrate folks expecting something quick and nasty. Sure, there is a jump scare (or two), and an odd scene (or two) featuring a wounded fox. The malevolence is coming, however; it just requires an unusual amount of patience. And when it does, the characters surely wish it hadn’t.

Barbarians opens by introducing Lucas (Tom Cullen), a smarmy real estate developer who is building properties on land once owned by the Wickes. Lucas is cut in the obnoxious Steve Coogan mold and Cullen, who was so wonderfully low-key in Weekend, goes all in with his performance. The primary residence is about to be sold to Eva (Catalina Sandino Moreno) an artist, and Adam (Iwan Rheon), her husband. It is Adam’s birthday, and Lucas and his girlfriend Chloe (Inès Spiridonov) are coming over for a celebratory dinner and to sign over the house. 

But tensions bubble between Adam and Eva during the day, and Lucas is troubled by the suggestion that a court case he brought against the Wickes over the land resulted in Mr. Wickes’ death from a heart attack. As the couples convene for dinner, everyone tries to be on their best behavior, but that does not last very long. Lucas provokes Adam, calling him “pussy” more than once. And that may be why Adam refuses to do one thing, and then says something he shouldn’t, which causes hell to break loose.

Until hell really breaks loose. Just when Barbarians starts to get interesting, with secrets and lies being spilled, something happens that upends everything that came before. Dorfman creates a dynamic, wordless sequence that forms the centerpiece of his elegantly constructed film. It should keep viewers interested in what happens next, especially if they found the film’s first half, well, slow.

What Dorfman is doing with this disruption is allowing the characters to reveal themselves under pressure. Eva, who talks about guns early on, may get the opportunity to use one. Adam, who lies to Lucas about being brave and putting a wounded fox out of its misery, has to man up and possibly kill for real. And Lucas, who talks big, may have to say something that puts him in a bad light. 

Are these characters getting what they deserve or deserving what they get? Barbarians does not seem overly concerned with the morality of the situations it raises, even with land deal metaphors. But Dorfman keeps things simple, never diving deeper into the psychology of things. This stripped-down strategy certainly works for a film set over 24 hours and shot almost exclusively in one location with a handful of characters who are all defined by one dominant trait. 

Lucas is all toxic masculinity and Tom Cullen’s showboating makes his character someone viewers will love to hate. He is a big, loud, forceful man and it is fun to see him react to all of the reversals of fortune he encounters. Cullen is not afraid to go big, whereas Iwan Rheon, as Adam, deliberately downplays his meek character. Adam often feels—or is made to feel—emasculated, but it is hard not to root for him. A scene of the guys fighting and wrestling at the dinner party is both comic and telling.  

The women also lean into and away from stereotypes. Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), who is always a welcome presence on screen, makes the no-nonsense Eva persuasive with just a tilt of her head and a flash in her eyes. She is easily the best character in the film and Moreno commands the screen, shifting from fierce one moment to polite or vulnerable the next. As Chloe, Inès Spiridonov has the weakest role, and plays a fragile character, but she a few key moments. 

The success of Barbarians ultimately hinges on the payoff being worth the long wait. Dorfman gambles that it is—and he is not entirely wrong—but not everyone will agree.